Shelf



F. M. JOHNSON 2,251,737

SHELF Filed Feb. 2, 1940 2 Sheevts-Sheet l I 4 I Vv zz' P.. \16 zo Aug. 5, 1941.

Mam,

Inventar.' I'rancesM Johnson Aug. 5, 1941;

F. M. JOHNSON SHELF Filed Feb. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenor. framesMJohnso n, 5g g.

Patented Aug. 5, 1941 4SHELF Frances .I'o'hn'son, Boston, Mass., assigner of one-half `to John A. Clark, Quincy, Mass.

ApplicationfFebrfuary 2, 1940, Serial No. 316,947

1:0 Claims.

This .invention relates to adjustable shelves and has for'its object the provision :of a :shelfadapted to 'be secured to the interior walls of Va building to Support various small articles.y

One object of the .invention .is to ,provide such a :shelf made in `two tpa/rts, one part being movable horizontally .about the other part `and adapted to he clamped thereto in zadjusted position 'with 'said movable part either vin -al-inement with :the other part or perpendicular to either edge thereof.

Another iobject of the invention is to Aprovide means for 'supporting a ,plurality of these adjustable 'shelves spaced 'apart one I:above the other and securing them `to the Wall `of fa'building.

These and .other objects :as vwill :hereinafter .appear `are attained by theinstrumentalities shown in the accompanying drawings.

.For the purpose A:of Aillustrating the invention, one preferred iform thereof is illustrated in 'the drawings, this form having 'been .found to give satisfactory vand `relialrle results, although it is to be 'understood .that `the various instrnmentalities of which the invention .consists Kcan ibevar-iously arranged and organized, and vthe invention vis not limited 'tothe .precise arrangement and 'organization tof vthese 'instrumentalities as herein vshown and described yexcept 'as required bythe scope of the appended claims.

-Of kthe drawings:

Figure 1 represents la plan .of a twofpart lad-- justable shelf embodying the features fof the present invention.

Figure 2 represents va :front aelevation -of the same.

Figure 3 represents a transverse section l'on line r3, 3 on Fig. 1.

Figure 4 representsa'transver-se sect-ion :on `line 15,4 .on 2. 1

Figure 5 represents faiplan of Isa'iclzshelf with'the movable member thereof disposed at `right 'angles to lone :side Yof :the other member.

Figure 6 represents a plan of th'eshelf the movable member :disposed at .right angles to the opposite side of theotlrer member.

Figure 7 `represents an elevation :of two 'cnf `said shelves with the supporting-brackets thereof pivotally secured to normally vertical bars adapted to `be secured to an vinteriorWall of a building.

Figure 8 represents a plan of the same, and

Figure 9 represents a vertical .transverse section on line 9, 9 on Fig. 7.

Similar characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, I0, II are two flat shelf .mem-

bers of equal thickness and width `and with their upper and lower faces parallel, these shelf members preferably being rectangular.

The member I I is shorter than the member i0 and has secured to its under face by screws IZx a metal plate I2 which at its outer end has an elongated slot I3 adapted to receive a vertically positioned pivot member I4 extending downwardly from the member I0 and. through the slot I3 of plate I2, said pivot member Ill being disposed equidistant from one end and from 'opposite side edges of said member Iii.

The slot I3 has sufficient length to permit the movable member I I being moved outwardly from an end of the member VIii a sumcient distance to ,perm-it the passage of said membery ll about a corner `of the member I0 when said member I I is moved horizontally about the pivot member i4.

By means of this adjustment the member II may be moved out of alinement with the member .I0 as shown in Fig. l, into a horiozntal position perpendicular to one side edge thereof, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The `pivot member I4 has threaded. to its under side a clamp nut l5 and when the movable member II is adjusted into any desired position perpendicular to or in alinement with the member I0, this clamp nut is turned to rigidly clamp the two members It, ll together with the edge I 6 of the member II abutting either an end of the member Il) or one side edge thereof.

Each member has permanently secured thereto a bracket Il, as by means of dowel pins Ila; which may be glued in place and each bracket has embedded in the upper face thereof an angle bar I8 the upwardly extending portion |89: thereof being disposed in a recess I9 in the rear edge of each member Iii or -I I, with said upper'end -I8x extending above the Yupper face of the members I0, II.

,Each angle bar lI 8 has at its upper end an opening 20 Itherein to receive a nail or other device by whichthe shelf may be attached to the wall of a building.

When the two members I0, II are in alinement, as shown in Fig. l, the shelf may beA secured to a straight vertical wall and when the movable member II is at right .angles to one side edge of the member I0, as shown in Fig. 5, the shelf may be secured in a recessed corner of a wall.

When the member I I is secured to the opposite side edge of the member IB, as shown in Fig. 6 it is in position to be secured to an outwardly extending corner of a wall.

When it is desired to mount a plurality of these shelves I0, II on a wall either with the members Ill, II in alinement or perpendicular to each other, the brackets Il' of said Ishelves spaced apart vertically may be secured to two normally vertical bars 2I with one shelf I0, II above another.

The upper ends of these bars 2I extend above the upper shelf members I0, II and are provided with openings 22 to receive supporting nails or pins whereby the plurality of shelf members IB, I I may be secured to the wall of a building.

llt is obvious that the several shelves may be secured to a straight Wall, or to walls perpendicular to each other.

When a plurality of shelves I0, II are used in or around corner walls, it is obviousthat each clamping nut I5 must be loosened and all of the movable members I I simultaneously moved about the ends of the other members Ill .and then again clamped -to said members I in their adjusted positions perpendicular thereto.

It will be noted that when the members le; Il are disposed perpendicular to each other in position Ito be secured to walls in a corner recess, vas shownin Fig. 5, the supports I8 are at the outer edgeof the shelf and when the shelf members are in position to be secured to projecting corner walls, the supports YI8 are at the inner edge of the shelf as shown in Fig-6.

Preferably the opposite ends of the bars 2l haveV secured to their rear faces me-tal plates 23 extending beyond the ends of the bars 2I and having the nail or pin holes 22 therein.

The brackets I'I of the shelf members I9, II

are pivotally connected to the bars 2! by the screws 24, so that the bars 2I may be moved out of perpendicular into inclined positions yas indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 7, with the pair of shelf members Il), II in echelon and then secured in this adjusted position by the nails or pins extending through the openings 22 in the plates 23 at the opposites-ends of the bars 2 I.

The head I 4x of the` pivot member I4 is disposed in a recess 25 in a shelf member I 0 and this recess 25 is filled with a wooden block 26 or filled with plastic wood as desired. l

The clamping nut I5 is preferably in the form of an acorn with vertical ribs on the outer surface -thereof whereby the nut may be freely turned by a persons fingers.

It is believed that the operation and many advantages of the invention will be understood without further description. Y

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A wall shelf comprising two flat members with rectangular ends, means holding said members in substantially the same atwise plane, said means embodying a pivotal connection between the end portions of said members with a limited endwise lost motion permitting the end of one member to be cleared around end corners of the other member whereby said members may be adjusted with respect to each other so that oner member is in endwise alinement with, or perpendicular to a front or rear edge of the other member at will, and means for locking said members together in any one of the several ad-v justed abutting positions. y

2. A wall shelf as set forth in 'claim 1, in which a transversely disposed supporting bracket is secured to the under side of each shelf member.

3. A wall shelf as set forth in claim 1, in which a transversely disposed supporting bra'cket is secured to the under side of each shelf member, and a metal angle bar set into the rear upper face of each bracket and having an upwardly extending portion positioned in a recess in the rear edge of each shelf member, said upwardly extending portion having an opening in the upper end thereof.

4. A wall shelf as set forth in claim 1, in which said pivotal connection includes a vertical pivot member disposed in one shelf member, a metal plate secured to the under face of the other shelf member, said metal plate being provided at its outervend with a longitudinal slot to re- Y ceive said pivot member, and a clamping nut on the lower end of said pivot member bearing against the under face of said plate.

5. A wall shelf as set forth in claim 1, in which said pivotal 'connection includes a vertical pivot member disposed in one shelf member and equidistant from one end of said shelf member and from its opposite side edges.

6. A wall shelf as set forth in claim 1, in which said pivotal connection includes a vertical pivot member disposed in one shelf member, a metal plate secured to the under face of the other shelf member, said metal plate being provided at its outer end with a longitudinal slot to receive said vertical pivot member, and a clamping nut on Y the lower end of said pivot member bearing against the under face of said plate, said slot having a length sufcient'to permit the movable shelf member in itsmovement outwardly and about said pivot member to pass a corner of the other shelf member.

7. A wall shelf as set forth in claim 1, in which both shelf members are rectangular and one shelf member .is shorter than the other shelf member.`

' 8. A plurality of wall shelves asset forth in.

claim 1, in which each shelf member has secured to its under face a supporting bracket, and vertical bars to which the various pairs of brackets are secured spaced apart vertically, theupper end of each bar being provided with an opening to receive a supporting pin.

9. A plurality of wall shelves as set forth in claim 1, in which each shelf member has secured to its under face a supporting bracket, and vertical bars to which the various pairs of brackets are secured spaced apart vertically, the opposite ends of each bar being provided with openings to receive supporting pins.

V10. A wall shelf comprising two flat rectangular parts of equal thickness and width, means normally holding said parts in the same plane atwise thereof, said means embodying a pivotal and extensible connection between end portions of said parts whereby the end of one part may be swung around the other part so as to clear the corners thereof and abut against either the end, or the front,or rear edgeof the other part, and means for locking said parts together in abutting relation to each other and in the same plane in any one of said adjusted positions,

jr FRANCES M. JOHNSON. 

